Propulsion of boats or vessels.



J. H. LORIMER. PROPULSION 0F BOATS 0R VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED SPTZ. 1906.

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PATENTED OCT. l5, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

* entre JOHN H. IOR-IMER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROPULSION OF BOATS OR VESSELS.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. 1-5, 1907.

application tied september 26,19%. semi No. 336.265.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. LORIMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propulsion of Boats or Vessels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in the propulsion of vessels.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable system and apparatus which may be readily controlled and which will operate efficiently for the propulsion of vessels by means of fluid streams. I am aware that it has previously been proposed to propel vessels by means of a number of intermittently operating jets, by powerful isolated jets, and by a plurality of l jets of large cross sectional area.

.lt is my object to avoid the difficulties of installation, operation and control of all such systems, and to provide a system having greater' efficiency and operating with less shock or disturbance to the vessel.

Thesel objects are attained by the employment of means in the system hereinafter described Theoretically, the reactive or propulsive force of any jet should be determined by its own momentum. Practically this is not so, partly on account of the effect of the jets upon the fluid of flotation. I have found that the only part of the jet which produces a useful and available reaction is at the edge of the discharge orifices. Edge velocity is-therefore more important than mass, since in any case the reactive momentum is dissipated almost instantly after the stream leaves the orifice. l therefore reduce the cross sectional area of the orifice so that the fluid ejected is simply a thin stream having a maximum edge surface, and I ejectia large number of these streams at very high velocities from along the bottom of the vessel so as to preserve the full effect of the edge velocity of the streams without disturbing the fluid of flotation affected by the adjacent streams. Such a system is carried out in its preferred form by means of conduits forming internal or external integral parts of the body of the vessel and capable of resisting great internal as well as external pressures and strains incident to the operation of the vessel, each conduit vhaving a number of very narrow slot openings or outlets leading into the fluid of flotation in a direction opposite to the desired direction of movement of the vessel. Fluid is supplied to these conduits under great pressure and ejected from the outlets continuously at high velocity, suitable pumps or other pressure producing mechanism being provided for maintaining the pressure in accumulating or distributing reservoirs. Control of the fluid pressure and discharge may be conveniently effected from the bridge or pilot house of the vessel by means of electrically, mechanically or pneumatically operated valves or similar devices. The forward as well as the backward'and steering movements of the vessel may be produced by means of my invention. For a vessel of say 700 feet length and 75 feet beam, the proportion and arrangement of the conduits and discharge outlets or orifices may be stated as follows: The conduits may be three feet wide and spaced apart from each other one foot, and extend longitudinally nearly the entire length ofthe vessel. Each conduit may be provided with orifices or outlets extending across the conduit and of a length substantially the same as the width of the conduit, say three feet, and should be very narrow, say one-sixtyfourth of an inch in width. The slots in each conduit should then be spaced apart from each other a distance say of one foot. The fluid ejected from each orifice and from each conduit will with such a construction not interfere in any manner with the fluid ejected from the next adjacent orice in the sam-e conduit oradjacent conduits and will not disturb the fluid of flotation into which the adjacent orifices discharge.

On account of the relative proportions of the conduits and outlets it is necessary to illustrate the invention diagrammatically in the accompanying two sheets of drawings.

Figure l is a view ofthe bottom of a vessel embodying the improvements of myinvention, showing the arrangement of six series of discharging outlets for forward propulsion and four series for backward propulsion. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing conduits with out lets for steering. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section showing the reservoirs and outlets. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing. the outlets from two adjacent conduits. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one of the conduits.

The vessel whose hull or body is indicated at I is provided with longitudinal conduits built in and forming permanent parts of the framework, preferably along the bottom for forward and rearward propulsion, and along the sides for steering purposes. The forward propulsion outlets are indicated by the series 2 2, the rearward propulsion outlets by the series 3 3. The steering propulsion conduits 4-1 are for port turning, and conduits 55 for starboard turning movements.

On Sheet 2 of the drawings, in Fig. 5, is illustrated a fragment of one of the conduits or troughs indicated at 6 and having a plurality of orifices or outlets 7-7 inclined in the direction of the length of the trough or conduit. It is preferred to provide a staggered arrangement of orifices of the adjacent conduits, particularly where the adjacent conduits are used for propulsion in the same direction, for instance as shown in Fig. 4. In this way it is possible to provide the conduits closer together without interference in the Huid of notation.

The fluid of propulsion is supplied to the conduits at high pressure in order that the discharge may be effected at high velocity. The required pressure may be obing apparatus a suitable means for furnishing additional v diate capacity, so that a supply of operating fluid may i propelling uid.

tained by suitable pumps, engines or other apparatus,- of any suitable type. It is preferred to store the propelling fluid in a 'reservoir in which the proper pressure may be maintained. Such a reservoir is indicated at 8 in Fig. 3.

9 indicates any suitable means for storing the'fiuid at high pressure within the reservoir 8.

In order to make the operation of the system and apparatus as uniform as possible, it is in some cases desirable, for instance where water is the propelling fiuid, to provide in addition to the fluid compressing or pumpelastic pressure, such as air compressors or air pumps, as indicated at 10. The fiow of the uid to the orificed conduits may be controlled' in any suitable manner. In vessels of large size in some cases it may be desirable to employ additional reservoirs in auxiliary or intermebe at hand in the immediate vicinity of those portions of the conduit through which it is desired to eject the I have indicated intermediate reservoirs in Fig. 3, where II is a reservoirfor supplying fluid to the forward operating conduits, l2 is a reservoir for supplying fluid to the rearward or backward propelling conduits, 13 is a reservoir supplying fluid to one of the steering conduits, and I4 is a reservoir for supplying fluid to another steering conduit. These intermediate reservoirs may be in continuous communication with the main reservoir and the control of the ejection effected between the immediate reservoirs and their respective conduits. v

In Fig. 2 I have indicated at Yl5 an inclosure which may be considered a diagram including the main and auxiliary reservoirs and controlling mechanism. It will be noted that any arrangement of reservoirs and pressure producing mechanism may be supplied.

From the foregoingl wish it understood that I lay great emphasis upon the continuous discharge of a large number ofstreams of relatively small width at great pressure and velocity into the fluid of flotation at such points as to produce a uniform propelling action without disturbing the fluid of flotation affected by adjacent streams.

What I claim is:

1. The means for propelling vessels by discharging 11ndergreat pressure a large number of continuous uid streams through narrow orifices arranged in series extending longitudinally of the Vessel the orifices in one series being in staggered relation to the orifices in the adjacent series, each stream discharging independently and without interference with the other streams or the uid of vflotation under such other streams affected therebyy so as toutilize substantially all the velocity of the streams at the edges of the orifices.

2. In a vessel, the combination of a plurality of longitudinally arranged conduits built into the body of the vessel and supplied with outlet passages spaced apart along the length of the vessel and of relatively very narrow width and opening in a direction opposite to the direction of desired propulsion, the outlet passages in one conduit being in staggered relation to the outlet passages in the adjacent conduits, and suitable pumping and supply mech anism for maintaining a high continuous pressure in the discharge conduits for ejecting the propelling uid' continuously in thin streams at a high velocity and utilizing substantially all the velocity of the streams at the edges of the outlet passages.,

- JOHN H. LORIMER.

Witnesses L. Vnm-iLaND, Ron'r. S. ALLYN. 

